Confirmed in a statement released by Microsoft earlier today, the 64GB version of the Surface Pro tablet will ship with just 23GB of storage space available for applications, movies, music and other content. In addition, the 128GB version of the Surface Pro will ship with just 83GB of free storage space. By comparison, the 64GB iPad offers users approximately 57GB of free space in the standard factory state. According to Microsoft representatives, over 40GB of space is being utilized by a more complex operating system, a “recovery partition” to allows users to backup all data and multiple applications like the trial version of Office 2013.

While users can reclaim the storage space to free up more room for content, they will need a basic understanding of managing space on a hard drive. The backup data can be moved to an external device like a portable hard drive and users can delete the partition as well as delete applications that simply aren’t being used. However, less-advanced users may not understand how to accomplish these tasks.

Microsoft representatives were quick to mention that the Surface Pro comes with 7GB of free storage space in the cloud through SkyDrive. In addition, Surface Pro owners can utilize the microSDXC card slot to add an additional 64GB of storage using a memory card that’s sold separately. The tablet also comes with a USB 3.0 port which allows users to connect anything from a USB flash drive to an external hard drive in order to expand the total storage space.

When the Surface RT launched last year, the device had similar storage issues. The 32GB version of the Surface RT shipped with only 16GB free and the 64GB version shipped with 46GB of available storage space. Both versions of the Microsoft Surface Pro are expected to ship on February 9, 2013. The 64GB version of the tablet will cost $899 and the 128GB version will be priced at $999.